A take on Shuk; Bakery of London’s babka! Light, fluffy, and 100,000% moreish! Sweet cherry cheesecake is braided with a classic Biscoff filling that is sure to leave nothing behind.
The delightful combination of a classic cherry cheesecake and the sweet goodness of Biscoff spread is a match made in heaven! Great for brunch, tea, or to share with a neighbor - these loaves are love on a plate and I am so excited to share the recipe with you.
I was inspired to make this babka after seeing Benjamina Ebuehi’s (Insta: @bakedbybenji) Instagram stories about receiving a gifted DIY Babka kit from Shuk; London Bakery with a Baked Ricotta Cheesecake, Biscoff & Sour Cherry Babka. When I saw her use Shuk;’s awesome babka kit, I KNEW I had to have some...the only issue was that I was thousands of miles away in Boston, USA! To ward of my pangs of sadness of not being able to try Shuk;’s original recipe, I decided to try and make my own version! And thus, my rendition was born!
Now, before we dive into this recipe I have to give credit to the literal foundation of this babka recipe - The Smitten Kitchen! Her “Better Chocolate Babka” recipe is absolutely amazing and I used her dough recipe as the base dough. I then tinkered and made the best sweet ricotta cheesecake filling. While Shuk’s babka uses sour cherries, those were hard for me to find so I used normal sweet summer cherries and I love it like this! The classic and addictingly good Biscoff spread was a no brainer and pairs beautifully with the creamy and slightly lemony cheesecake.
This babka is made in 4 stages: preparing the dough, making the cherry cheesecake filling, assembling the babkas, and baking and drizzling them. These 4 steps come together quickly but just need a little bit of TLC - in the form of time. When the dough is made, it must rest for at least 6 hours - overnight in the refrigerator. The filling comes together no time, but like any dough once filled, another short cycle of resting and rising must take place. This babka is better made over 2 days where you can really take your time with it!
It’s important to note that this recipe is written from the perspective of kneading by HAND. At the time of creating this babka, I did not have access to a standing mixer so my guidance is for those doing this with good ole elbow grease! Alternatively, this dough can 100% be made in a standing mixer!
Are you wondering how this babka could get any better? How does French toast sound! This babka would make a FANTASTIC french toast because the dough is beautifully light and almost brioche-like as it’s an egg enriched dough. Coated in a vanilla-egg-milk base, thick slices cooked in butter would yield a nice golden crust that is slightly caramelized and perfect for a dousing of maple syrup!
HOW TO MAKE BISCOFF CHERRY CHEESECAKE BABKA
I. Prepare the dough: This recipe can be made by hand or in a standing mixer!
II. Make the cherry cheesecake filling: Prepare the filling and refrigerate until needed.
III. Assemble the babka: Divide the dough into 2 and form a rectangle. Similarly to how you’d make a cinnamon roll - spread the fillings and roll into a log! Chill the logs and then cut each log into 2 strands, pairing the different fillings together. Braid each filling strand together and let rise.
IV. Bake the babka: While baking, make the sweet syrup to drizzle on top of the freshly baked babkas! Let cool and enjoy!
TIPS & TRICKS FOR THIS RECIPE
If using rapid rise yeast, add the yeast directly to the flour mixture and skip the activation process.
If using a standing mixer to make the dough, the kneading times may need to be adjusted.
It's important to follow the chilling times for the dough, especially when the filling has been added because the refrigeration/freezing prevents the dough from falling out.
If you make this Biscoff Cherry Cheesecake Babka, tag me on Instagram!
BISCOFF CHERRY CHEESECAKE BABKA
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Dough Rest Time: 9.5 - 10 hours
Makes 2 loaves
For the dough
4 ¼ cups (530 grams) All -Purpose flour, plus more for flouring work surface
½ cup (100 grams) white granulated sugar
2 teaspoons slow-rise yeast
Grated zest of 1 small lemon
3 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup water, plus 4-6 tablespoons if needed
¾ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup unsalted butter (150 grams or 5.3 ounces), softened
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the filling
Cherry Cheesecake
¼ cup solid cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup ricotta, room temperature and drained
1 egg, beaten and divided (use half in cheesecake, half as egg wash)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¼ cup white granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cup cherries, pitted and diced
Biscoff
1 cup biscoff spread (approx. ½ jar)
For the Sweet Syrup Drizzle
⅓ cup water
6 tablespoons (75g) white granulated sugar
½ tsp vanilla paste/vanilla extract (optional)
DIRECTIONS
DAY 1
Part I: Make the Dough!
1. Activate the yeast: To a large measuring cup with ½ cup warm water (105F - 110F), add
2 teaspoons yeast and quickly whisk to combine. Set aside for 5-10 minutes. The yeast
should develop bubbles and become frothy.
2. While the yeast is activating, combine the all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest
together in a large bowl. To the activated yeast, add the eggs and beat together to
combine. Pour the yeast-egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix. If the
dough is shaggy and not forming a solid mass, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until
the dough forms a ball.
3. When the dough is in 1 piece, begin adding the softened butter in increments of 2-3
tablespoons. Use a floured hand to dimple the softened butter into the surface of the
dough. Sprinkle the dough with a light dusting of flour and begin working in quarters to
fold 1 quarter of the dough from the edge into the center. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees
and fold over the next quarter. Lightly knead the dough together after each final fold for
approximately 1 minute. Repeat step 3 until all the butter is integrated into the dough.*
If the dough is still loose after all the butter has been added, sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of
flour at a time and knead until the final dough should be more structured in texture, soft
but hold it’s shape, and clear the sides of the bowl when kneaded (approx. 5-10 mins).
4. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to the kneaded dough, rotating to coat fully. Cover and
place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, but overnight is best.
DAY 2
Part 2: Make the Cheesecake Filling!
1. Wash, de-pit, and quarter the cherries. Place the diced cherries into a medium sized bowl.
Cover and set aside until ready to use.
2. To another medium sized bowl, beat together the room temperature cream cheese and
ricotta using a hand mixer or wooden spoon (approx. 3-4 minutes). Then add the vanilla,
lemon juice, white sugar, cornstarch, salt, and half of the egg, Beat again until
combined, about 30 seconds - 1 minute. Some small curdles of the cheeses may remain
- that is okay, these will not affect the taste! Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Part 3: Assemble the Babka!
1. Prepare 2 standard 9’’x4’’ loaf pans. To the pans, either well grease the insides with
vegetable oil OR line with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. To a well floured surface, turn out the rested dough and divide the dough in half. Cover
and place one half of the dough back into the refrigerator. To the alternate dough,
sprinkle some flour to the surface and with well floured hands, gently shape the dough
into a square. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle (10” width x 12”
long) as best as you can.**
3. To the first rolled out rectangle, pour over the refrigerated cheesecake filling. Spread the
filling evenly across the dough and add the diced cherries evenly over the filling. Leave
a ½ - 1 inch border on all sides. Starting at the longest side, roll the dough into a log
and pinch together the final edge of dough to the body of the dough, forming a seal to
keep the log together. Place on a parchment lined baking tray and freeze for 20-25
minutes (alternatively refrigerate for 30 minutes).
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the other half of the dough, using approximately ½ a jar of
biscoff spread.
5. After the dough has chilled, remove from the refrigerator and transfer the 2 logs to a
floured work surface. Use a sharp knife to remove ½ inch off the ends of the logs. Gently
stretch the length of the chilled logs to make the logs as equal in length as possible.
6. Use a sharp knife to gently cut the logs of dough in half. Place 1 cherry cheesecake filled
strand and 1 biscoff filled strand side-by-side. Pinch the tops of the logs together and
gently braid the 2 strands together. Each twist should intertwine the cherry cheesecake
and biscoff strands. Pinch the final twist at the end together to seal. Carefully condense
the length of the braid together to decrease it’s length to be equal to the size of the
loaf pan. Moving quickly, hold the ends of the braid to lift and place into the
prepared loaf pan. Repeat this process with the second 2 strands and place into the
remaining prepared loaf pan. Cover both pans with plastic wrap and place in a warm
place to rise until doubled (approx. 1 hour - 1.5 hours).
Part 4: Bake and Drizzle!
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Remove the plastic wrap from the risen babkas and
brush the babkas with the remaining ½ egg - this will serve as the egg wash. Bake the
babkas for 30-35 minutes in the middle rack of the oven.
2. While the babkas bake, prepare the sweet syrup drizzle. To a small saucepan, heat the
water and sugar to a boil. When the sugar is dissolved, set aside to cool. When the
babkas are fully cooked and beautifully golden brown, pour the sweet syrup over the 2
babka loaves.
3. Let the babkas cool for 15-20 minutes in the pan and then turn out to cool on a wire rack
to continue cooling. Slice and enjoy warm or fully cooled!
NOTES
*Note: The beginning stages will look like there is too much butter to the amount of flour present. That is okay! Keep sprinkling flour to the surface as you dimple in the butter, fold in quarters, and knead the dough together.
**To maintain a rectangle shape when rolling, try to roll from the center towards each corner, pushing outwards with each use of the rolling pin. Keep rolling, using the corners of the dough as a guide.
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